Anand Datla
  • Ph.D. Student
  • Graduate Assistant - Teaching
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Biography

Anand Datla is a doctoral student in the Department of Geography at Texas A&M University, where his research brings together the grounded insights of urban political ecology with the empirical rigor of human geography and urban studies. His work investigates the interconnected systems of socio-natures, infrastructures, and power that drive uneven urban growth, exploring how these socio-ecological relationships contribute to displacement, resource inequalities, and spatial injustice in rapidly growing cities and peri-urban areas.

Anand's research is shaped by over twenty years as a frontline development practitioner and management consultant. He has worked with global organizations such as Ernst & Young, Deloitte, Capgemini, and the Tata Trusts, implementing projects and advising clients on enterprise applications, cyber security, and urban services. His practitioner ethos—refined through hands-on work in development and management systems—brings a practical rigor to his PhD studies. He combines real-world experience with theoretical insights from political ecology, urban geography, and cultural anthropology. Anand holds degrees in industrial engineering, management (MBA), and water governance (MSc) from the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Delft. He has professional expertise in cybersecurity (CISSP) and enterprise IT governance, providing a systems-thinking perspective complemented by certifications as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.

Anand’s experience equips him with the skills needed to dissect the socio-technical fault lines of contemporary cities, where socio-ecological precarity collides with urban infrastructures and policy discourses.

Research Interests

  • Urban studies
  • Water Governance
  • Urban Political Ecology
  • Critical Infrastructure Studies
  • Neoliberal State
  • Master’s Thesis, 2021 - Echoes of the Okavango Delta – Do We Hear the Voices of the People?
  • Field Studies, 2023 – Field research to understand key issues surrounding gender and development in Kalahandi, Odisha, and Atpadi, Maharashtra in India

Educational Background

  • ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • 2021 Masters of Science in Water Governance, UNESCO Delft Institute for Water Education
  • 2019 Strategic Non-Profit Management, Harvard Business School
  • 2015 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP, ISC2)
  • 2014 ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
  • 1999 Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications, JNNYC
  • 1996 Masters in Business Administration, Sri Sathya Sai University
  • 1993 Bachelors in Engineering (Industrial Engineering), University of Mysore

Awards & Honors

  • Doctoral Student Research, Travel, and Professional Development Award, 2025
  • IEFS Graduate Scholarship, 2024
  •  Glasscock Graduate Research Fellowship, 2023
  • 2019 Aid & Development Scholarship for Graduate Education
  • 2019 Aspire Fellow
  • 2018 Acumen Fellow

Selected Publications

    • Datla, A.; Schmeier, S.; Cuadrado-Quesada, G. and Mothobi, R. 2023. Echoes of the Okavango Delta – Does the voice of the people matter? Water Alternatives 16(3): 821-848

    • Datla, A. (2023, July 24). Lessons India can learn from Maharashtra’s unique Tembhu Lift Irrigation Project. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/lessons-india-can-learn-from-maharashtras-unique-tembhu-lift-irrigation-project/articleshow/102088151.cms 

    • Datla, A. (2023, September 14). Fencing Traditions: Cattle Grazing in Kalahandi. India Development Review. https://idronline.org/ground-up-stories/fencing-traditions-cattle-grazing-in-kalahandi/

    • Datla, A. (2021). Okavango River Basin – Achieving RBO Goals Adapting the Provisions of SADC Protocol & UN Watercourses Convention, Water Security and Climate Change Conference, Hanoi, March 2021. Technische Hochschule Köln

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